Districts 2, 4 Sworn in to Newberry City Council

NEWBERRY — Councilmen Edwin Wicker and David Force took the oath of office on Sept. 15 for City Council seats two and four, respectively.

Judge Frank Partridge administered the oath to each councilman following the certification of election results the Friday prior. David DuBose was sworn in Sept. 22.

Several city employees were recognized by council following the administering of the oath of office.

Kim Hunter was recognized for her 15 years of service with the city’s finance department. Hunter began working with the department on March 31, 2005, and holds the position of customer service coordinator.

“We can’t thank you enough for the job you do for the city and our customers,” City Manager Matt DeWitt said of Hunter.

Marquerite Palmer was also recognized for her five years of service with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department. Palmer began working with the city on July 1, 2015, and holds the position of programs manager for the Newberry Arts Center.

“You’ve created another avenue for our residents, and we cannot thank you enough for bringing a little more culture into our town,” DeWitt said of Palmer.

Also recognized for his service was Mac Bartley for 30 years with the city’s Public Works department. Bartley began working with the department on August 27, 1990, and holds the position of director of Public Works.

DeWitt said Bartley was someone you could always count on.

“The job he does each day is greatly appreciated,” DeWitt said. “You keep this place looking and running well.”

Police Lieutenant Justin Weaver was recognized for his 15 years of service with the city’s police department. Weaver began working with the department on August 15, 2005.

“I can’t say enough about our police department and the job they do every day to keep our community safe,” DeWitt said. “We appreciate what you do for the city.”

Council also recognized Molly Fortune for her five years with the Newberry Opera House. Fortune began working with the city on September 1, 2015, and holds the position of executive director of the Newberry Opera House.

“Molly does a great job running the Newberry Opera House, she brings in some of the best performances across the country and we are just truly fortunate to have Molly and the Newberry Opera House here in the City of Newberry,” DeWitt said.

In other business, council approved of an ordinance to temporarily suspend the normal operating procedures and to provide for emergency procedures applicable to public meetings during the continuance of such emergency.

Originally passed earlier this year, this ordinance was once again extended, allowing the Mayor, City Council and City Boards and Commissions to remotely participate in voting and operations procedures by telephone or other means of electronic communication provided they comply with the provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

Enacted due to the circumstances the city faces in combating the spread of COVID-19, the ordinance will expire in 61 days, unless extended. Motion was made by Councilman Lemont Glasgow and seconded by Wicker.

In other business, council unanimously voted to extend their ordinance regarding face coverings. Originally set to expire on September 30, the ordinance has been extended through October 31.

The measure requires masks or face coverings in grocery stores, pharmacies and dollar stores and clarifies the term grocery store to mean an indoor or outdoor establishment that primarily sells food, but may also sell other convenience and household goods.

Motion was made by Councilwoman Jackie Holmes and seconded by Wicker to approve the ordinance.

Mayor Foster Senn said SCDHEC had reported that communities that established ordinances have been more successful seeing a decrease in cases.

Updates/Announcements

As an update to council, DeWitt said the city’s recreation complex opened for limited use on September 1 — to include the park’s playground, multipurpose fields and nature trail with park hours of 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

DeWitt said he hoped the public would come and take full advantage of the park.

Upon a question from Senn, DeWitt said they would be looking into the requirement of fishing licenses from adults that planned to fish in the park’s pond.

Senn said the city received compliments on their utilities service to include water and sewer at Duke’s new industrial site located on the Highway 34 bypass, saying he thought the site was an exciting opportunity for Newberry.

As another update, Senn told council that September 17-23 was Constitution Week in the city and thanked the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution for reminding the city of the reason to celebrate the signing of the constitution.

The deadline to complete the 2020 Census, Senn said, is September 30 and he hoped that those that had not already done so, would complete their forms prior to the deadline.

New Business

Under new business, first reading was passed on the purchase of property by the Newberry Fire Department at 2718 Deloache Avenue.

DeWitt told council the couple that previously owned the property passed away and asked their son to offer the property to the fire department first, because they were aware of the difficulty the department had in backing their large ladder truck in from Wilson Road, especially during times of heavy traffic.

Acquiring the property will allow for a drive to be put in around the back of the property, allowing the ladder truck to be pulled in without blocking traffic along Wilson Road, creating a much safer atmosphere for firefighters and pedestrians alike. Acquisition of the property will cost the fire department $85,000.

The house and property will be kept up by the city’s fire department, DeWitt said, and will be used as the department configures living spaces for on-duty personnel. Motion was made by Glasgow and seconded by Holmes to accept first reading.

In other business, a motion was made by Force and seconded by Wicker to accept first reading of an ordinance to authorize the transfer of property located at 1505 Main Street, current home of The Aviator.

The owner, DeWitt said, is looking to build a deck off the back of the bar to allow for outdoor seating and expand his business’ ability to serve customers. To do this, he needs about 50 feet of city property to transfer from the city to his property on Main Street. The owner agreed to construct a deck at a cost of no less than $20,000, an investment that will be added to his property taxes and value and how the city will be made whole on the transfer, DeWitt said.

DeWitt told council the property’s total land value was just over $400 and was unusable to the city as far as to where it was located; however, he said it looked like it would enhance the property’s business with the addition of a deck.

Council approved a request for outside water service for property located at 4226 S.C. 34-121. The property is contiguous to an existing city water line and would require no extension beyond a standard tap. An annexation covenant for the property was signed indicating a willingness to annex if council determined it was in the best interest of the city to annex the property. Motion was made by Glasgow and seconded by Holmes for the request.

With a nomination from Senn and second by Holmes, Glasgow was named the Mayor Pro Tem for City Council. Should the mayor be absent or unable to fulfill his duties, Glasgow would act in his place for the council.

As a final order of business, Holmes asked council and city staff to consider hosting an event for Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865, the date that union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to ensure enslaved people were free.

Holmes suggested getting the Newberry Museum involved and looking at including vendors to include authors, artists, music, etc.

Senn said he agreed with Holmes and the city did two things really well – festivals and history, and putting the two together would be a great idea.